Sunset
by StarlightStudio
Summary: A oneshot about Nico and Thalia's friendship when something bad occurs. My first oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**Hey, guys, so this is my first oneshot so please take that into consideration.**

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"Hey Percy, whatcha doin?" I heard Conner Stoll holler from one end of the field. God, couldn't they just let me get some sleep? I pulled my black blankets over my face and was about to groan when I heard Percy hissing.

"Shhhuuuttt uuuppp, you idiot!" He tried, repeat, tried to whisper to Conner. I smirked, he was so bad at sneaking up on people. Plus, I had experience on it before. That was why when he slammed open my door and screamed, all I did was flinch a bit.

"Gah, sunlight. Too bright, close the door." I pulled my blanket even farther up.

"What, can't get out of your death bed?" Percy laughed, even though that had to be the worst pun ever.

"Just kidding. All head counsellors are called to a meeting at the Big House right now. Oh, and Chiron mentioned something about having mashed potatoes for dinner." He shrugged. "I hope there's gonna be grave-y!" He added another horrible for which Hades should've killed him for, but Percy just cracked himself up. If he tried to be punny again, I was going to kill myself, or better yet, him.

Grumbling a "coming", I climbed out of my black bed, I slipped on my black shoes and slipped on a thin black jacket. Wow. I don't think even Thalia has this much black stuff. Speaking of the electric devil, she came sprinting around the corner just as I walked out, slamming into me.

"Hey-" I was about to compliment her new black and neon green converse when she darted back up and took off again. I had never seen her this rushed besides when we snuck out of camp and she saw that Hot Topic was having a sale on Special Effects Pimpin Purple Hair Dye.

"What's with her." I asked. Percy looked just as confused.

"She isn't supposed to be running around like that." I nodded. Just a couple of days ago, Thalia had come back from a mission, with a big gash that would've killed her within the first few minutes if it weren't for the Apollo campers. She was still in critical condition, but knowing her, she had probably snuck out of the infirmary.

Dusting off my pants, I ran towards the Big House.

"I get the Cheese Whiz!"

"No, I do!"

"You already got the Miracle Whip!" Travis and Conner whined over who got the sharings of their latest raid of a local gas station. Thalia had her head on the ping-pong table, and she looked like she was going to pass out any minute, totally opposite from what she was like two minutes ago. But when Chiron walked in, her head immediately snapped up.

Chiron dismissed the Stolls with a good lecture which we'd all heard before, and quickly sat down, his expression changing.

"We have some bad news from the Roman Camp Half-Blood. I gagged. That place was utterly disgusting. Thalia straightened.

"What happened?" She asked warily.

Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid to say…well, Jason has gone missing." My breath caught in my throat. No one dared to speak.

"He was sent on a quest two weeks ago. He said that it wouldn't take him too long, only a couple of days, and it should've. He also said that he would return to Roman Camp Half-Blood after he was done, but he still hasn't shown up there yet, or here." He cleared his throat. "We need to send three people out on a quest to find him."

Percy stood up. "I volunteer." Chiron nodded.

"I am asking Grover to go as well, since he is an excellent tracker and we need trackers." Chiron asked. Grover nervously nodded. "And also, having Phoebe from the Hunters, who are currently staying here, would also be acceptable-" "That is not acceptable!" Thalia shot up from her chair. I glanced at her confusingly.

Her eyes were filled with deadly rage, her hands balled up into fists, and she had almost knocked the table down getting up.

"I need to go on this quest!" She shouted. Chiron looked at her sadly.

"Thalia, I understand, but you must know, you have such a serious injury. It'll take at least another week to heal. You are in no shape to fight." As if on cue, Thalia's angry face cracked for a moment. She tried to inconspicuously raise her arms to her ribs as she winced from pain.

"As you see, you canno-" Thalia immediately regained her composure again.

"No! I said no! You have to let me go on this quest!" She screeched, and everyone looked puzzled. This was beyond Thalia style mad, it was…it was…not even her. As I looked at her face, my breath constricted.

She wasn't even mad anymore. The expression on her face was that look that you saw on the face of an eight year-old that was currently watching her parents die before her very own eyes.

Thalia's crazed eyes darted around the room before she sprinted out of the room herself. Chiron looked like he was about to cry.

"Meeting dismissed." He said sadly.

I trudged into my cabin and flopped down on the black leather sofa. Then I thought better of it and just decided to go to bed. Shutting my onyx curtains because it was still light outside, I almost collapsed from exhaustion.

The Apollo cabin had insisted on teaching me archery, even after I had a little incident with one of the guys and a hole in the middle of his pants. He walked away whining about how he was going to have to get a new pair now. After that accident, the rest of the cabin had thrown that idea out of the window and decided on teaching me singing, and that had took a lot of shadow travelling to get away from. I hadn't felt any better after dinner. I was about to shut my eyes when I realized something. Thalia.

I had been so busy getting away from the haiku-spewing maniacs that I had forgotten about trying to find Thalia. Apparently, no one had seen her since the little show in the Big House. Quickly getting out, I jogged out of my cabin.

Now, where would she go? One half of my conscience told me. My smarter other half slapped the first half and shouted _'at Zeus' first you idiot!'_. I looked at the nearest tree and ran straight at it.

Hold up. I didn't hit the tree, just shadow travelled through its shadow. In almost no time, I was at the destination in the forest. As expected, Thalia was there.

Her body was propped up against the giant boulders, but was slouched, and she was completely motionless. Thank the gods I could tell when someone was asleep or dead, or else I would be panicking right now. Tip-toeing over, I gently crouched down on the grass beside her and leaned over her.

"Thalia?" No movement. Was she a deep sleeper? I nudged her on the shoulder.

"Yo, Pinecone Fac-" The last thing I expected was for Thalia to jump me. _In her sleep._ She expertly tackled me, pinning me to the ground. It was only after she had a silver arrow from her quiver in her hand did she open her eyes groggily. She suddenly snapped away.

"Gods, Nico! Don't ever sneak up on me again! Do you know I could've seriously hurt you?" Great. Now, not only could she kick my butt when she was awake, but she could kick my butt when she was asleep too.

She got up, letting me sit up, and we both climbed on top of Zeus' Fist. We sat in a mildy uncomfortable silence. I cleared my throat.

"So, um, about Jason." I asked slowly. Thalia's expression darkened. Then she sighed.

"I'm sorry about freaking out on you guys back there. It's just…" She stopped for so long that I thought that she would stop the conversation right there.

"Maybe I should tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"What happened to me and Jason when we were little." I blinked. I knew this was an extremely touchy subject for her, for the last time I asked her, I got shocked into next Tuesday.

"Our mom, no, not even mom. She was a monster." Her face contorted with disgust.

"She used to beat me up. Over the most ridiculous, littlest things. Sometimes she would take me to downtown New York for some ice cream. I would ask her for a bit more and she would quickly drag me to a dark alleyway, and beat me up, explaining how ungrateful I was." She paused for a moment.

"Then, when I was seven, Jason was born." Her face had turned dreamy, and she was staring off into the distance, like she was remembering a warm moment from the past.

"We used to play everyday. When he learned to speak, I would teach him weird and funny new words, and we would have a good laugh. Then, when he was four, it happened." Fire blazed in her eyes.

"It was a normal day, however normal a day of mine could get. Scarlett, my witch mother, was running around, muttering 'must give', 'almost time', and things like 'will punish me'. She took Jason and ran out the door. She locked me in my room before I could protest. I never saw Jason since then." Her face suddenly turned sad again.

I thought about everything she had said. I'd always thought that Thalia was like…her shield Aegis. Nothing could break down her outer cover, and she always put fighting before everything else. But it was just now that I realized that Thalia _was_ a human being. She had emotions, and a maternal part of her that would always turn on when anyone she loved was threatened. It was like, like…Bianca.

I still hadn't forgiven her for abandoning me by joining the Hunters, and then dieing. I thought that she had never cared for me; that was why she had left me. But seeing Thalia like this, I realized that Bianca had never left me after all.

The silence was now comfortable, and I gradually felt a weight on my shoulder. Thalia had fallen asleep again. I tilted my head upwards to look at the sky; there was a sunset.

Staring at it, I decided that I would have to talk to Bianca sometime again.

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**I need some constructive critiscm on oneshots! Please! It would really help me improve my writing. Also, if you liked this and think that I could continue writing oneshots, please tell me, or I'll never know.**

**Rate and Review please! Thanks!**

**P.S. For my story A Christmas Carol, I'll be updating soon. There is only one chapter left, so after that story is finished, I'll start the first chapter of Home Alone. Please rate and review those two as well!**


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